Imagine an Asian Wall Street Journal reporter and a political-risk consultant
criticizing Singapore's heavy-handed political system for stifling individual
creativity. Next, imagine their discussion is broadcast live throughout Asia
from a Singapore studio and paid for by a consortium including the Singapore
government.No, it's not some liberal fantasy -- it's part of Singapore's
decision to join the satellite revolution sweeping Asia. The program aired
earlier this year, but thanks to Singapore's ban on individual satellite
dish ownership, it went unseen there by all but a few bankers, diplomats,
financial analysts and journalists whose companies are allowed to install
dishes.

The telecast was part of Asian Wall Street Journal On Air, a program produced
by the U.S.-based Dow Jones Group and carried on the new Asia Business News
(ABN) network. Dow Jones has long had a difficult relationship with Singapore's
government, which in the past restricted the circulation of the Journal and
the company's Far Eastern Economic Review. Nonetheless, says program managing
editor Christopher Graves: "We are independent of all our shareholders --
(including both) Dow Jones and the Singapore government." Graves would like
his programs to be seen in Singapore, but says: "Instead of browbeating people
to change their ways, we've decided to play ball."

ABN's arrival is often cited as evidence of a Singaporean glasnost. It is,
in fact, part of Singapore's deliberate effort to lure international media
companies. But the republic's technocratic regime is not yet ready to welcome
an entirely free press. "The ability of governments to control the flow of
information is being weakened," noted George Yeo, Singapore's erudite minister
for information and the arts, in December. "But the fact that we cannot effectively
censor the objectionable is not a reason for us to legitimize it. While we
may not have the means to prevent satellite TV, we can make it very difficult
for the broadcaster. . . . When we were poor we had no say. Now that we are
less poor, we should begin to assert our own point of view."

To do that, Singapore is building a nationwide cable television network to
carry its own selected programs. In January, it took another key step by
launching an hour-long, daily television broadcast to key Southeast Asian
markets via an Indonesian satellite. Mindful of regional sensitivities, distinguished
academician Chan Heng Chee, who heads the foundation that runs the channel,
vows: "We won't knock on people's heads to beam down our channel." The broadcast
consists of eminently unwatchable local humor shows and anemic newscasts
aimed at Singaporeans abroad. Says Chan: "Commercial consideration is not
my criterion."